The Black and Tan Coonhound was developed in the USA as a hunting dog somewhere in the XVIII century. It’s renowned for its unsurpassed talent in tracking down racoons, hence the name. Its sunny disposition and all-around friendliness account for its great popularity as a companion dog.

History

The Black and Tan Coonhound is one of the first American canine varieties, which were bred to hunt specific type of game and subsequently became known as Coonhounds. It was formally accepted as a unique breed by the United Kennel Club (UKC) as early as in 1900.

It’s said that the primary progenitors of this dog were the English Foxhound and the Bloodhound. The now-extinct Talbot Hound also may have been used in the breeding program although it’s still disputable whether any Talbots were really brought to the American settlements or whether it was just the product of crossing the Foxhound with the Bloodhound. Most experts are agreed that the Black and Tan Coonhound has much more the Bloodhound’s blood in its veins than other Coonhound varieties. This assumption is verified by its more prominent size, sturdier build and coat patterns.

This excellent working breed quickly earned love and respect of American colonists as well as of the native population. It has been normally utilised for hunting racoons but it also can trace lots of various types of game. Racoon hunting is a very challenging task for a dog since it purports running for substantial intervals of time, in and out of water, and frequently through irregular and vegetated terrain. Great endurance and unyieldingness are obligatory qualities for whose sporting dogs who want to be successful in this style of hunting. The Black and Tan Coonhound was specifically designed to have all these characteristics.

The breeders of the Black and Tan Coonhound always mainly concentrated on working abilities of their dogs so many of its specimens still remain either active or retired hunting companions. Furthermore this dog is a common sight at Coonhound trials, organised hunting contests. The breed received recognition of the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1945. In this day and age the good-tempered, loyal and biddable Black and Tan Coonhound is winning more and more followers in the role of a family dog.

Temperament

The temperament of the Black and Tan Coonhound greatly depends on individual traits of each dog although there are certain qualities that share the vast majority of these dogs. They include deep affection and unwavering loyalty to their humans. Separation anxiety may become a stern issue for its specimen as it can’t stand loneliness and commonly acts out its frustration by destructive behaviour. The Black and Tan Coonhound is a robust and patient dog that commonly makes a great playmate for family children. Of course it needs early and all-around socialisation in order to react adequately to various everyday situations and people of all ages.

In general, the Black and Tan Coonhound manifests average level of friendliness towards strangers and its under socialised specimen can be somewhat nervous and even openly hostile to new people. Nonetheless it can be described as unaggressive breed so it’s ill-suited for guarding tasks. This dog is also rather uninterested in alerting its owners to the presence of possible intruders and makes an unreliable watcher.

The Black and Tan Coonhound was created to hunt both alone and in a pack and it commonly easily reaches understanding with its counterparts. Although it may perceive canines of the same sex as rivals and have a quarrel with them over dominative status. This tendency is especially well expressed in unneutered males. The dog with such powerful prey drive isn’t an optimal choice for families with pre-existing non-canine pets. The Black and Tan Coonhound can be successfully kept side-by-side with individual cats and small animals only if it gets to know them in its puppyhood.

Health Problems

The most common problems for the breed include:

· canine hip dysplasia;

· weight gain;

· eye problems;

· heartworm;

· flea Infestation;

· mange;

· distemper

Grooming

The grooming of the Black and Tan Coonhound is a very easy task. This breed will rarely need any professional care and should be brushed only once a week. But this dog sheds a great deal so expect that a thick layer of dog’s hair will cover your carpets, clothing and furniture. More regular and careful brushing can settle this problem only to a certain extent.

Bear in mind that the Black and Tan Coonhound gives off specific «doggy odour» that most people distaste. The rest maintenance routine consists of such obligatory procedures as nail clipping, teeth brushing and ear cleaning.

Training

The training of the Black and Tan Coonhound usually represents a serious challenge. This typical member of hounds is notoriously famous for its wilfulness and propensity to selective listening. It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to teach it elementary commands and tricks but it definitely implies that you will need to exhibit lots of patience and good humour in the work with this dog.

For the best results it’s highly advisable to entrust the training of your pet to a professional handler. The techniques that are based on principles of negative reinforcement will most likely have an opposite effect on this dog and therefore must be avoided at all costs.

Exercise

The Black and Tan Coonhound was bred as an indefatigable working dog so it’s no wonder that it has very high exercise requirements. It will never be totally satisfied with several short walks and craves for much more vigorous activity such as hunting or playing in a securely fenced area.

The breed will make a wonderful four-legged companion for fanciers of active pastime especially hiking and jogging. Remember that because of its large size and impressive power the bored specimen of the Black and Tan Coonhound can become very destructive and uncontrollable indoors.